Environment scheme to increase fines for fly tippers to be reviewed
A council plan which includes increasing the fines for those caught fly-tipping is set to be reviewed next week.
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s litter and environmental crime plan, approved in mid-2024, is already making strides in tackling fly-tipping, littering, and environmental blight across the borough.
Under the plan, those caught dumping waste can be fined up to £1,000.
In 2022/23, Barnsley Council spent £265,000 on clearing and disposing of litter and fly-tipping.
Two tiers of fines for fly-tipping were introduced under the scheme – the fine for dumping up to six bags of waste will remain at £400, but anyone caught fly-tipping more can face a fine of up to £1,000.
BMBC hoped that the higher fine would target ‘those more likely to fly tip as a criminal enterprise’.
The maximum fine for graffitiing also doubled from £100 to £200, as it costs the council at least £200 to remove.
BMBC’s overview and scrutiny committee will review the scheme at their next meeting on February 4.
This policy change is already showing results, with the Safer Communities team issuing Barnsley’s first £1,000 fine in July 2024, followed by another in September. BMBC has also stepped up communication about enforcement actions, ensuring that each prosecution and fixed penalty is widely reported across various media platforms.
During the 2024/25 financial year, the safer communities team issued 17 littering fines and seven fly-tipping fines, while the enforcement team issued 684 fixed penalties for environmental offences. In addition, the council has prosecuted 10 fly-tipping and duty of care cases, with more awaiting court dates.
BMBC is now looking to identify more environmental “hot spots”—areas where littering and other forms of environmental blight are most evident—and taking a targeted, proactive approach to addressing them.
Council officers and stakeholders will further discuss the plan’s progress and future challenges. Key figures from BMBC will answer questions from committee members, to explore how the strategy aligns with other key priorities for the borough, including Barnsley 2030.